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It's official! Construction on CEI's new Future Tech building begins – East Idaho News

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It's official! Construction on CEI's new Future Tech building begins – East Idaho News


Dignitaries and members of the community during a ceremonial turning of the soil Thursday morning for the groundbreaking of CEI’s new Future Tech Building. Watch highlights in the video above. | Video by Isabella Sosa-Salazar, EastIdahoNews.com

IDAHO FALLS – College of Eastern Idaho officially broke ground on its new Future Tech Building Thursday morning.

Construction on the 88,000-square-foot building is now underway in an empty field on the north side of the Idaho Falls campus. The two-level building will house energy, innovation and technology-related courses, such as cybersecurity and mechatronics, as well as IT and STEM programs.

“It’s constructed in a very open way. We don’t know what the careers are going to be in the future and it will be built in a way to accommodate that,” former CEI President Rick Aman tells EastIdahoNews.com.

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RELATED | Construction slated to begin on new Future Tech building at CEI in June

In addition to classroom space, the building will have a conference center, field testing laboratories and a large gathering area for business and civic events, student group projects and bay space. Watch an animated fly-through of the building here.

The total cost of the project is about $50 million. Of that amount, about $32 million is being funded by taxpayers. The rest of the money is coming from grants and donations from the private sector.

The building is slated for completion in the fall of 2026.

Incoming CEI President Lori Barber addressing the crowd during Thursday’s groundbreaking ceremony. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com
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During the groundbreaking, Aman noted this is his last official act as CEI’s president. Lori Barber, who previously served as the vice president of Academic and Student Affairs, was appointed to fill the role in June, which went into effect Thursday.

RELATED | College of Eastern Idaho appoints new president

CEI is the only educational institution in Idaho without a career and technical education building, according to its website. These courses are in high demand and the new building will solve a lot of challenges with inadequate space and limited resources so CEI can provide a “state-of-the-art” education for students.

Aman is thrilled to end his tenure by seeing this project come to fruition after three years of planning.

“What a fitting end, what a wonderful completion for me in my tenure as president. I couldn’t be more proud,” Aman says.

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RELATED | College of Eastern Idaho President Rick Aman to retire in July

Barber was heavily involved in planning for this building in her previous role and is excited to oversee its construction.

“I certainly can’t think of a more exciting way to begin this journey than by celebrating the start of something so transformative for our students, faculty, staff and the community,” Barber said during the groundbreaking. “We’re not merely constructing a building, we’re laying the foundation for a legacy that will inspire and endure for generations to come.”

Anderson Construction has been selected as the general contractor for the project.

WATCH HIGHLIGHTS OF THE GROUNDBREAKING IN THE VIDEO ABOVE.

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The construction of a two-level, 88,000-square-foot energy, innovation and technology building is happening in an empty field on the north side of the Idaho Falls campus. | Courtesy CEI

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A rendering of the new Future Tech building at CEI in Idaho Falls. | Courtesy CEI

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Local woman having ‘closet revival’ with new consignment store – East Idaho News

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Local woman having ‘closet revival’ with new consignment store – East Idaho News


Shanea Fulks is the owner of Seven Sisters Closet Revival, a new consignment store at 260 South Woodruff in Idaho Falls. Take a look inside in the video above. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

Do you want to know what’s happening in the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.

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New consignment shop in Idaho Falls offers vintage clothes for customers and booth space for sellers

Clothes on display at Seven Sisters Closet Revival | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

IDAHO FALLS – Curating vintage clothing is Shanea Fulks’s passion, and she’s sharing it with the community through a new business venture.

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Seven Sisters Closet Revival opens Saturday at 260 South Woodruff inside Parkwood Plaza in Idaho Falls. It offers racks of vintage clothes for customers and booth space for others to sell their items.

“You get a rack with shelves, and you can come in throughout the week and sell things,” Fulks tells EastIdahoNews.com. “The things you’ll see in the middle of the store are pieces that I have curated. I hand-pick all the things I bring to the store.”

See some of the items in the video above.

Fulks says she’s had multiple people walk in already who are excited about the shop.

The store will have a grand opening this weekend. Fulks is partnering with the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce for a ribbon-cutting and open house at noon on Friday. A local band will be performing during the event.

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Then on Saturday, a grand opening celebration will begin at 2 p.m. Several vendors and live entertainment will be available. Fulks says she’s looking forward to interacting with the community.

Fulks has been selling items from her personal collection online for years. After helping a mother and daughter find a formal dress during an interaction at another shop in town several years ago, Fulks says she realized there was a need for a store like this.

After about a year of working with real estate agents, Fulks says the Parkwood Plaza space formerly occupied by a beauty salon called Blush became available, and it was an ideal fit.

“It’s just been a whirlwind and we’re just trying to get it going,” says Fulks.

A rack of sweaters at Seven Sisters Closet Revival | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com
A rack of sweaters at Seven Sisters Closet Revival | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

Fulks’ interest in fashion stems back to childhood. She lost her dad and stepdad to suicide at a young age and grew up in a household that struggled to make ends meet. As a result, she says they bought clothes at Goodwill and other secondhand stores.

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She remembers being made fun of because of the clothes she wore. In time, she learned to embrace her uniqueness and developed an interest in vintage clothes.

“I’ve just always been attracted to old sweaters, military jackets (her dad served in Vietnam),” Fulks says. “I like to help people feel confident wearing something unique, even if it’s not trendy. Be bold and wear whatever you want.”

The idea of making the most of your circumstances and embracing who you are is inspired by her experience with suicide, and it’s reflected in the art that’s on display in her store.

“Part of the theme in my store is ‘Stay. We need you,’” she says.

Art on display at Seven Sisters Closet Revival | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com
Art on display at Seven Sisters Closet Revival | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

The business name refers to her family. She comes from a blended family of six girls and four boys. When she and her husband were married, they had a daughter — the seventh sister.

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Fulks says she’s looking forward to offering great deals to customers. She has two sons with autism who love art, and she wants to host art-themed events for people with special needs. She’d also like to host tea parties and other events in the future.

“I want people to come and feel like they belong,” she says. “I’m going to allow people to do karaoke. When you’re here, I want you to feel like you can have fun.”

Seven Sisters Closet Revival will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

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Gov. Little signs bill ending license plate registration stickers in Idaho

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Gov. Little signs bill ending license plate registration stickers in Idaho


Gov. Brad Little has signed House Bill 533, which would remove the need for license plate stickers on Idaho vehicles.

The legislation, introduced earlier this session by Rep. Jon Weber (R) of Boise, eliminates the requirement for registration stickers on Idaho license plates. Weber stated during the bills intorduction that officers can verify the status of license plates without the stickers, potentially saving the state around $300,000.

During the bill’s introduction, some lawmakers argued that it could increase the workload for law enforcement.

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The new law is set to take effect in July.



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Idaho resolution opposing same-sex marriage advances

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Idaho resolution opposing same-sex marriage advances


For the second year in a row, House lawmakers will consider urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn its ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.

The nonbinding resolution, which carries no legal weight, says the decision in Obergefel v. Hodges violates the longstanding religious definition of marriage between one man and one woman.

“The current definition of marriage that allows for same-sex marriages is a defilement of the word marriage,” said Rep. Tony Wisniewski (R-Post Falls), who sponsors the measure.

The resolution further states that the Obergefel decision “arbitrarily and unjustly” rejects the historical definition of marriage.

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Idaho voters passed a constitution amendment in 2006 that defines marriage as between one man and one woman, which was invalidated by the Obergefel ruling.

Wisniewski said regulating marriages should be a power left to the states.

Rep. Brent Crane (R-Nampa) agrees.

“If you want to get things … closer to the people with respect to some of these more complex social issues, I think the best place for those things to happen is in the states,” Crane said.

Doing so is a risk, he said.

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“You may have states that choose to acknowledge [polyamorous relationships]. You may have states that choose to have relationships between adults and younger children,” Crane said.

Cities in neighboring Oregon and Washington, for example, are considering giving those in polyamorous relationships legal recognition.

But he said that risk is worth it to allow other states that choose to only recognize traditional marriages.

Four lawmakers on the House State Affairs Committee opposed the resolution.

Rep. Erin Bingham (R-Idaho Falls) said she’s tried to balance her own religious beliefs with those of others while considering the measure.

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“I do feel like that it is important for us to work together, to find ways to compromise and to live together in peace and mutual respect,” Bingham said.

The resolution now goes to the House floor for consideration.

House lawmakers last year passed a similar measure, but it never received a hearing in a Senate committee.

Copyright 2026 Boise State Public Radio

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